Wrinkle-resistant fabrics and methods of imparting wrinkle resistance to cotton and cotton-blend fabrics are well known in the textile industry and have been used to manufacture wrinkle-resistant or permanent press garments. Typically, wrinkle-resistant fabrics are produced by applying to or otherwise impregnating a fabric with resins or other crosslinking agents and, in the presence of a catalyst, heating the fabric to a temperature at which cross-linking of the reactive fibers, i.e. curing, will occur at the desired rate. Several examples of durable press compositions and processes are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,023 to Warburton, Jr. discloses a process for treating a fabric for the purpose of rendering the fabric wrinkle-resistant. The disclosed process includes the steps of saturating the fabric with a durable press treatment solution containing an activated bis-vinyl compound, a copolymer, and an aqueous base; passing the fabric through pad rolls; drying the fabric; and curing the fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,356 to Hendrix discloses a process to prevent yellowing of durable press fabrics which have been treated with a non-formaldehyde finishing agent such as glyoxal, polymers of glyoxal and higher aldehydes. This process includes exposing a moist finished fabric to an oxidation solution at an elevated temperature, followed by neutralization, rinsing and drying operations. The oxidative treatment may be performed either during or immediately after curing of the finished fabric in a continuous process, or at a later time as a totally separate process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,701 to Herbes discloses a crease-proofing composition comprising certain imidazolidinones. The crease proofing composition of the Herbes patent is applied to cellulosic textile materials. A catalyst or accelerator may also be employed. Following the application of the crease proofing agent and curing catalyst, the material is subjected to drying and curing operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,624 to Hunsucker discloses using certain urea-aldehyde compositions to treat textiles and nonwoven cellulose products so as to impart wrinkle resistance and durable press properties. Hunsucker further discloses that catalysts such as magnesium chloride and zinc nitrate may also be used. The cellulosic materials are saturated with the composition, pressed and then heated to cure the resin. Hunsucker discloses that the treated fabrics have much improved hand when the treatment is conducted in the presence of nitroalkanes or nitroalkanols, and the residual aldehyde is much reduced, thereby improving the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,246 to Lord discloses a method of making a durable press garment which may be conducted in the home. This method includes the steps of pressing an assembled garment to form at least one crease therein, impregnating the garment with a liquid, containing a crease proofing agent, permitting the garment to dry and then heating the garment to cure the crease proofing agent. Lord further discloses that the method may also include the initial fabrication of the garment by cutting and sewing together suitable pieces of fabric and/or repressing the garment after the drying step and before the curing operation.
Other examples of durable press agents and processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,632,296 to Pandell and U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,927 to Roth and in copending patent application Ser. No. 08/078,608.
While known methods of manufacturing durable press garments generally result in garments having satisfactory permanent press or wrinkle-resistant properties, these methods require the use of excess resins which add to the cost of manufacture and pollute the environment and, in most cases, produce garments which exhibit undesirable hand (i.e. excessive stiffness).
The present invention provides a method and apparatus which eliminate the use of excess durable press resins and other chemicals and which yield wrinkle-resistant garments having excellent hand (i.e., softness).